ROBOTECH DEFENDERS was the name of a line of model kits distributed
by Revell, Inc. in the early 1980s. Many of these were based on mecha from
Japanese shows, including Super Dimension Fortress Macross. The model
kits were supposed to have been tied to a comic book series, but the initial
3-issue limited series done by DC Comics was so poorly received that the third
issue was never released.

Since Revell was already distributing models using designs from Macross
that put a crimp in Harmony Gold's merchandizing plans for their Macross
videos. In the end they entered into a co-licensing agreement with Revell and
eventually adopted the Robotech name for the syndicated television show
the home video line had transformed into.

Revell One-Sheet
Advertisement for Robotech Defenders Models

(click picture for larger image)

Robotech
Defenders Comic Book

(Issue #1, DC
Comics)

Keen-eyed Battletech players will
notice that a lot of the Robotech Defenders models look like battlemechs
from the original Battletech game from FASA. The reason for this is that
all of the original edition's 'Mech visuals were based on designs from a
variety of anime series, including Macross. Eventually FASA got
embroiled in a lawsuit with Harmony Gold and Playmates over the use of the
Macross images. As a result FASA dropped all of the derived images (not
just the Macross ones) and later editions of Battletech had new
visuals for all of the original edition 'Mechs. (On a side note, the
Battletech game was originally titled Battledroids, but a lawsuit
with Lucasfilm over the use of the term "droid" caused them to
change the game's title.)